Most Expensive Cities In America

The cost of living in America's most expensive metro areas may be hard for many to bear, but things could actually be much worse. World-class commercial hubs are sprinkled across the United States, but not one U.S. city even cracked the top 25 most expensive metro areas in the world, according to the latest global survey by HR pros at Mercer.  Only five U.S. cities -- including Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City -- ranked in Mercer's 100 most expensive international cities. For the budget-conscious among us, the least expensive U.S. city in Mercer's rankings is Winston-Salem, North Carolina where an average movie ticket costs $8.50, and rent for a 2-bedroom apartment is $450. That's a far cry from the costs associated with notoriously expensive cities like New York.